Question NW2530 to the Minister of Tourism

1.(a)(i) Country

1. (a) (ii) City

1. (b) Cost

(Rand)

1. (c) Reason(s) for the trip

2. Benefit

Brazil

(21-25 September 2014)

Rio de Janeiro & Sao Paulo

R 111 957.74

Opening of South African Tourism’s (SAT) office in Brazil.

To preside over the Ubuntu Awards and the South African stand at the Associacao Basiliera de Agencias de Viagens (ABAV) Travel Tradeshow

To interact with the Brazilian Outbound Tour Operators (Travel Trade) and visit WHS

To sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism.

Brazil features in the Top 20 source markets for inbound tourists to South Africa (SA). In addition, in 2013, Brazil was the second largest source market for tourists from the Americas to SA and number one in Latin America. In 2013, SA welcomed 82 802 Brazilian tourists, which was a 5.6% increase from the 2012 statistics (78 376) with a total foreign direct spend of R893 million. Therefore, the opening of the South African Tourism (SA Tourism) Office in Brazil is a direct response to the increasing importance of the Brazilian market to the growth of the SA tourism sector. In 2013, a total of 9.1 million Brazilians travelled abroad, recording a 12% increase from the previous year, with SA capturing 1% of these tourists. [NB: The motivation is based on 2013 statistics because the SA Tourism office was opened in 2014]

In addition, the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism with Brazil was a response to the growing importance of Brazil as a source market. It is the first such agreement with a South American country. The signing of this MoU also means that SA has now entered into bilateral tourism MOUs with all BRICS countries and is in a position to share best practices on Responsible Tourism with Brazil, for example. Brazil was the first country in the world to develop standards for Responsible Tourism, followed by SA in 2011. One of the key learning areas will revolve around the strategies and/or incentives Brazil put in place to encourage tourism companies to incorporate Responsible Tourism practices in their businesses.

The Minister had an opportunity to interact with both SA and Brazilian trade during the visit. The Minister gave opening remarks at the South African Airways (SAA) convened buyer-seller workshop on the side-lines of the ABAV Travel Tradeshow, where there were 39 SA exhibitors and 32 Brazilian buyers. The Minister also participated at the first Ubuntu Awards in Brazil where Brazilian tour operators, travel agents and media organisations that have worked in the spirit of partnership with SA to effectively market the destination were recognised. These efforts increased SA’s visibility in the Brazilian market and assured the travel trade that the SA Government acknowledges their role in growing SA’s market share.

All these events took place during the “Meet South Africa Week” where other SA entities such as SAA, Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN), SA Tourism, SA inbound tour operators, and SA Consulate-General in Sao Paolo participated. On 24 September 2015, the Minister hosted Brazilian journalists at a media breakfast.

Uzbekistan

(29 - 30 September 2014 Turkey

1-3 October 2014 Samarkand )

Turkey & Samarkand

R 197 919.41

To attend the 99th Session of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Executive Council (Exco) and 5th meeting of the Working Group on Official Development Assistance (ODA).

South Africa serves on the Executive Committee of the UNWTO until 2017. Together with the General Assembly, Exco is a mandatory session. The UNWTO is a United Nations agency charged with global governance of the tourism sector and responsible/sustainable development of the tourism economy, including ethics. It is also among the key centres of knowledge development and exchange for the tourism sector globally. South Africa contributes to the governance of the global tourism sector and the UNWTO Secretariat through serving in the Exco.

South Africa is the Chair of the UNWTO Working Group on ODA. The objectives of the working group are to assist the UNWTO to seek full ODA eligibility for multilateral ODA and explore ways of mobilising extra-budgetary resources for tourism development in ODA-eligible developing countries.

During South Africa’s term as Chair, the working group engaged with prominent members of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and developed a Tourism for Development Facility (TDF) which is a mechanism of mobilising extra-budgetary resources.

The Minister used the opportunity to meet with tour operators and to strengthen relations in Turkey en-route to Samarkand. Turkey is a developing source market for tourist arrivals to SA.

United Kingdom & Netherlands

(03-06 November 2014)

London & Amsterdam

R119 506.01

To attend the World Travel Market (WTM) including meetings with key stakeholders (trade partners and industry associations) and media engagements.

To deliver the Keynote address at the Ubuntu Awards.

To participate as a Panel Member of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) & WTM Ministers’ Summit with the Theme: The legacy imperative of mega events.

To attend the World Responsible Tourism Awards.

The key event during this visit was the SA Tourism stand at the World Travel Market – showcasing South Africa together with some of its products to countries around the world. The Travel Market was also used to meet with Tourism counterparts around the world to strengthen relations.

The Minister presented the SA Tourism Ubuntu awards to South Africa’s travel and trade partners who have excelled in selling the destination to travellers from the United Kingdom (UK). The UK is one of South Africa’s top overseas source markets for tourist arrivals.

Namibia

(23 to 24 February 2015)

Windhoek

R 7 489.39

The Minister met with his counterpart,
Mr Herunga: Minister of Environment and Tourism during the 5th International Symposium and Annual Conference of the Partners of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism.

The Symposium and the Annual Conference of the Partners presented South Africa with the opportunity to advance its responsible tourism programme through networks, partnerships, knowledge exchange and potential project support. South Africa’s participation at this international event is important in that it positions the country as a leader in responsible tourism practices in the region, on the continent and globally. Ministers also took the opportunity to exchange lessons learnt on how to strengthen community-based tourism.

Germany & Italy

(2-5 March 2015 Berlin

6-7 March 2015 Italy )

Berlin & Milan

R 162 201.85

To attend the Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) Berlin, Germany and to visit the South African Tourism (SA Tourism) office in Milan, Italy.

ITB is a leading business platform for global tourism.
SA Tourism has been participating at ITB for a number of years. The SA Tourism stand accommodates products from South Africa.

ITB 2015, for the first time in its history, hosted a Minister’s Roundtable with the theme: Opportunities and Risks of mega sporting events for Tourism. Minister participated as a panel member at this platform. The latter provided South Africa with the opportunity to share our tourism experiences stemming from hosting events like the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The Minister had the opportunity to get a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges for Germany as a key source market for tourist arrivals to South Africa. The event also provided a good opportunity for the Minister to engage with the German Media as well as with media from other countries.

This was Minister’s first visit to the SA Tourism’s office in Italy. This provided an opportunity for Minister to meet the staff and to get a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges to position South Africa as a preferred tourist destination for Italian residents. Minister also had the opportunity to meet with key tour operators that sell South and Southern Africa to Italian residents.

Russia & United Arab Emirates

(16-20 March 2015)

Moscow

R 167 843.67

To attend the Moscow International Tourism Trade Fair (MITT) and to participate in the South African Trade and Media engagement session in Moscow, Russia.

The Minister’s visit to the Russian Federation was a result of discussions following a meeting with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation, H.E Mikhail Petrakov. The meeting was convened at the request of the Russian Ambassador and the focus of the meeting was on the issues relating to tourism cooperation between South Africa (SA) and the Russian Federation. During the meeting the Russian Ambassador extended an invitation, on behalf of the Russian Minister.

MITT created a unique opportunity for the department to use the visit to Russia to gain a deeper understanding of the Russian trade and the tourism market, and to share the department’s future plans for the Russian market with the SA mission officials in charge of tourism portfolio. Russia has been identified as a priority market and a source of future tourism growth for SA.

The eThekwini Declaration of 2013 raised tourism as an area BRICS should explore. Brazil as incoming Chair in 2013 proposed a MoU on which South Africa provided comments. South Africa explored opportunities to get the BRICS tourism Ministers to meet and formalise tourism cooperation within the BRICS forum. The main reason is to optimise travel and tourism flow and also to advance the African tourism agenda within BRICS. In view of Russia becoming the Chair of BRICS, the Minister used this opportunity to raise tourism issues with the Russian Deputy Minister responsible for tourism.

(15-16 March 2015)

Dubai

The cost included in the Russia trip (connection)

To promote South Africa as a tourism destination in advance of the outgoing holiday season in the UAE;

To establish contact between the governments of South Africa and the UAE to promote tourism cooperation between the two countries;

To engage the main role players in the tourism industry in the UAE to promote South Africa as a suitable tourism destination.

The Ministerial mission comprised of meetings with travel agencies and tour operators; major airlines representatives that have a wide reach within the Middle East region; as well as a meeting with Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. The aim of the meetings was to understand their product needs and support required for them to sell South Africa as a tourism destination. The engagements allowed the Minister to better understand the market and also address issues relating to promoting South Africa as a tourism destination. The trip has resulted in a familiarisation trip to South Africa by a group of tour operators from the UAE in June 2015 as well as the participation of tour operators from the UAE at Indaba 2015 as buyers of South African products.

United States of America (USA) & Spain

(13-14 April 2015)

New York

R174 618.16

To officiate at the 6th Ubuntu Awards which is an annual event that is hosted by South African Tourism.

The Ubuntu awards honours South African Tourism’s outstanding trade partners in business and leisure travel. South African Tourism invited the Minister to deliver a keynote address at the event.

The Minister also interacted with trade on emerging challenges including the issue of Ebola virus which negatively affected travel decisions in the US markets.

(15-16 April 2015)

Madrid

The cost is included in the USA trip. (connection)

To address the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) 15th Global Summit.

The WTTC Global Summit is established as a key annual event in the Travel and Tourism calendar and is the global leaders’ forum for travel and tourism. The theme was ‘Disruption and Reinvention in the tourism sector’. The Minister was invited to deliver a speech on South Africa.

Through discussions held during the summit, it was concluded that the tourism industry has the constant ability to re-invent itself as world events pose new challenges and opportunities to the sector. The sector was encouraged to embrace the power of people for its future successes. These people includes tourism consumers, world’s citizens, governments, entrepreneurs of tomorrow and people employed within the sector.

The Minister’s participation in the WTTC promotes public private partnership. South Africa (both government and industry) benefits from the developments, deliberations and thematic issues emanating from the WTTC summit. South Africa also benefits from the research and knowledge that is generated by the WTTC to get deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges in key source markets.

Seychelles

(24-26 April 2015)

Victoria

R 54 173.04

To attend the International Carnival of Victoria.

The Minister of Tourism in Seychelles has with South Africa’s support, initiated discussion for the establishment of a chapter for Tourism within the African Union Secretariat. The visit provided the opportunity for an informal bilateral between the two Ministers.

Participating in the Carnival assisted South Africa in developing a regional tourism footprint and to showcase our culture. The Carnival also added to a better understanding of other African countries in terms of culture and heritage.

Relationship-building in the region and continent is crucial for the growth of our continent. There are also three countries which are members of BRICs, namely, Brazil, India and China who are already participating in the carnival. This will further strengthen the partnership in the tourism space.

The marketing of our country through the media coverage will be profound in showcasing our attractions in Africa, Europe, South America and Asia.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

(4-5 May 2015)

Dubai

R 67 303.35

To attend the 2015 UNWTO Arabian Travel Market Ministerial Forum on Intra Arab Tourism and to establish contact between the governments of South Africa and the Middle East region.

To engage the main role players in the tourism sector in the Middle East to promote South Africa as a suitable tourism destination.

To attend the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between South African Tourism and Emirates airlines to promote South Africa as a tourist destination.

The ATM is the largest travel trade exhibition in the Middle East and eight South African companies participated in the exhibition. The South African stand was officially opened by the Minister and an opportunity was provided to engage the tourism trade from the region as well as various media that were present for the opening. This enabled the tourism trade to better understand South Africa’s value proposition as a tourism destination.

The Minister also met with a number of his counterparts from the Middle East as well as Mr Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UNWTO and Mr David Scowsill, President and CEO, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) during the Ministerial Forum. This assisted in establishing relations with Ministers counterparts in the Middle East region.

Croatia

(27-29 May 2015)

Rovinj

R 111 831.38

To attend the 100th Session of the UNWTO Exco and 6th meeting of Working Group on ODA.

As a member of the Executive Council (Exco) of the UNWTO for the period 2014-2017, South Africa continues to contribute to the governance of the global tourism sector and the UNWTO Secretariat. South Africa benefits from the research and knowledge that is generated by the UNWTO on various issues such as trends, thematic issues, etc.

South Africa is the Chair of the UNWTO Working Group on Official Development Assistance (ODA). With South Africa as chair, the working group contributed to the historic 100th session of the Exco by developing a Tourism for Development Facility which is a mechanism to be used by UNWTO for mobilising extra-budgetary resources for tourism development in ODA-eligible developing countries. The Exco endorsed the Tourism for Development Facility. The working group has achieved its objectives and will cease to exist in September 2015.

Zimbabwe

(18 June 2015)

Harare

R 27 549.34

The Minister was invited by his Zimbabwean counterpart to be a panellist and guest speaker at the Ministerial Roundtable Discussions during the Sanganai World Tourism Expo organised by the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality of the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe in collaboration with the University of Zimbabwe.

The roundtable discussions aimed at addressing issues impacting negatively on tourism growth and development in the region such as poverty, Ebola, lack of air connectivity and visa.

The Minister’s participation in these events is in line with strengthening regional integration. Minister also participated in roundtable discussions on issues pertaining to unlocking regional tourism growth potential

The participation by the Minister in events like the Sanganai Tourism Expo opened opportunities for Ministers to address issues for the development of tourism in the region and to share best practises.

Zimbabwe is currently the Chair of the SADC Tourism Ministers as well as the Commission for Africa under the UNWTO.